PACER APIConnect PACER without building on its API
PACER has a REST API. Self-serve for anyone with a registered PACER account; searches are billed at $0.10 per page of results, fees of $30 or less per quarter are waived, and a non-billable QA environment is available. If you're reading the docs because you need PACER to talk to the rest of your stack, Caddi does that without you writing or maintaining integration code: you show it the job once, and it runs it across PACER and your other tools.
- APIREST (JSON)
- AuthPACER Authentication API token
- AccessSelf-serve
What the PACER API gives you
- Type
- REST (JSON)
- Authentication
- PACER Authentication API token (from PACER username/password) sent in the X-NEXT-GEN-CSO header
- Who can get access
- Self-serve for anyone with a registered PACER account; searches are billed at $0.10 per page of results, fees of $30 or less per quarter are waived, and a non-billable QA environment is available.
- What it covers
- Nationwide case and party searches across federal courts (the PCL index), plus related billing and report functions.
Official docs: pacer.uscourts.gov. Checked September 2026. Vendors change access terms, so confirm with PACER before you build.
Building on the PACER API vs. having Caddi run it
| The job | Build it on the API | With Caddi |
|---|---|---|
| Getting access | Register an app, get PACER credentials, and manage tokens and refreshes. | Connect your PACER account once. Caddi holds the connection. |
| Writing the integration | A developer maps fields, handles pagination, retries and rate limits, and writes the sync. | You show Caddi the PACER task the way you'd train a new hire. It writes verified code for it. |
| Steps the API doesn't cover | Screens with no endpoint stay manual, or need a separate RPA tool. | Caddi uses a secure, audited browser session where there's no API, in the same automation. |
| The other systems in the loop | Each extra tool is another API, another set of credentials, another integration to own. | One automation runs across all the tools the job touches. |
| Keeping it running | Someone owns the code when the API version, fields or your process change. | Every automation is reviewed before it runs in production, and every run is logged. |
Building on the API is the right call when you have engineers and the integration is your product. When the goal is getting PACER work off someone's desk, the build is the slow part.
What teams usually want the PACER API for
Pull complaint and route
Caddi logs into PACER, pulls the complaint or docket, and emails it to the attorney with the case status.
File docket to matter
Caddi retrieves the latest docket entries and files them to the matter in the DMS.
Bankruptcy check monitor
Caddi runs Case Locator searches for named parties and logs any bankruptcy filings to the case record.
PACER API questions
Does PACER have an API?
Yes. PACER has a REST API, authenticated with PACER Authentication API token (from PACER username/password) sent in the X-NEXT-GEN-CSO header. The official documentation is at https://pacer.uscourts.gov/help/pacer/pacer-case-locator-pcl-api-user-guide.
How do I get access to the PACER API?
Self-serve for anyone with a registered PACER account; searches are billed at $0.10 per page of results, fees of $30 or less per quarter are waived, and a non-billable QA environment is available.
Can I connect PACER to my other tools without writing code against its API?
Yes. With Caddi you show the PACER task once, the way you'd train a new hire, and Caddi builds it as verified code that runs across PACER and the other tools the job touches. Where a step has no API, Caddi uses a secure, audited browser session in the same automation.
Do I need a developer to automate PACER with Caddi?
No. There is no integration code for you to write or maintain. Every automation Caddi builds for PACER is reviewed before it runs in production, and every run is logged.
Connect PACER without the build.
Drop your work email and pick a time. We'll show you Caddi running your PACER workflow end to end.